"The clock has lost something," said he, and sure enough it did not look all right.
The Teacher looked up - for he was leaning with his head on his desk, groaning.
"What is wrong with it?" he asked.
"Something is missing."
"There is a number out; there are only eleven figures," said the Teacher.
"No, no," said the Scholars.
"Count them out, Ruffin," said the Master.
"1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12."
"Quite right," said the Teacher, "you see there are twelve. No there are not - yes there are - no - yes - no, yes - what is it all about?" and he looked round the room, and then leaned his head on the desk again and groaned.
In the meantime the Raven had crept along the rafters till he had got over the Teacher's desk; and then he got a good heavy Seven and dropped it right on the little bald spot on the top of the Teacher's head. It bounded off the head and fell on the desk before him. The instant the Teacher saw it he knew what was wanting all the time. He covered over the Seven with a piece of blotting Paper. He then called up Ruffin.
"Ruffin, you told me that something was missing - are you sure?"
"Yes, of course."
"Very well. Do you remember that you said yesterday, that you wished a certain Number had died in a madhouse?"
"Yes, I do; and I wish it still."
"Well, that Number has been stolen by some one during the night."
"Hurrah!" said Ruffin, and he threw his book up to the ceiling. It hit poor Mr. Daw, who had another Seven in his beak ready to drop it, and knocked the Seven down. It fell into Tineboy's cap, which he held in his hand. He took it out, and stooped and petted it.
"Poor 7," said Tineboy.
"Give me the Number," said Ruffin.
"I shan't. It belongs to me."
"Then I'll make you," said Ruffin; and he caught hold of Tineboy - even before the Master's face.
"Let me go. I'll not give you my poor Seven," said Tineboy, and he began to scream and cry.
"Ruffin, stand out," said the Master.
Ruffin did so.
"Seven times seven?" asked the Master.
Ruffin did not answer. He could not, for he had not got a Seven.
"I know," said Tineboy.
"Oh, yes," said Ruffin, with a sneer; "he knows because he has a Number.''
"Forty-nine," said Tineboy.
"Right," said the Master; "go up, Tineboy."
So Tineboy went up to the top of the class, and Ruffin went down.
"Seven times forty-nine?" asked the Master.
They were all silent.
"Come, answer!" said the Master.
"What is it, yourself?" said Tineboy.
"Well, my boy, I am sorry to say I cannot say. Dear me, it is very queer," and the Master put down his head on the desk again, and groaned louder than ever.
Just then Mr. Daw took another seven and dropped it down on the floor before Tineboy.
"Three hundred and forty-three," said Tineboy, quickly; for he could answer as he had another Seven.
The Teacher looked up and laughed loudly.
"Hurrah, hurrah!" said he.
When the third Seven fell the Raven began to swell.
He got seven times as big as he was, so that he began to lift the slates off the roof.
The Scholars all looked up; Ruffin had his mouth open, and Mr. Daw, anxious to get rid of the Sevens, dropped one into it.
"Two thousand three hundred and one," Ruffin spluttered out.
Mr. Daw dropped another Seven into his mouth, and he spluttered out again worse than ever, "Sixteen thousand eight hundred and seven."
The Raven began hurling Sevens at him as fast as he could; and each time he threw one he grew smaller and smaller, till he got to just his natural size.
Ruffin kept spluttering out and gasping numbers as hard as ever he could, till he grew black in the face and fell down in a fit just as he had come to "Seventy-nine thousand seven hundred and ninety-two billion, two hundred and sixty-six thousand two hundred and ninety-seven million six hundred and twelve thousand and one."
Suddenly Tineboy woke up, and found that he had been dreaming with his head down.